Vin Baker's Home Auctioned At Foreclosure Sale

The Durham house that was owned by former NBA basketball player Vin Baker, a six-bedroom, 9,300-square-foot Georgian brick colonial on a 12-acre parcel, has been auctioned at a foreclosure sale.

The property, which features a two-lane bowling alley, basketball court, guest house and pool, was bought June 28 by U.S. Bank for $2.5 million, said Daniel B. Ryan, a Middletown attorney responsible for conducting the sale. U.S. Bank holds two mortgages on the property, Ryan said.

Baker's house was on the market for more than two years and was originally listed at $5.995 million. This spring, the price was dropped to $3.8 million, said Jennifer Trautman, an agent with Connecticut Prudential Realty in Madison and the property'slisting agent.

Just weeks before the auction, in mid-June, the property was further reduced to $2.95 million

U.S. Bank was the sole bidder at the sale, which was held in the home's front foyer. One other eligible bidder, who also submitted the required $280,000 deposit, chose not to bid, Ryan said.

Baker, who still has the option of appealing the sale, could not be reached for comment.

"He does have time, according to the law, where he can appeal this and be the owner for the property. Unfortunately, he and a lot of people at this time have been affected by the economy," Trautman said.

"There is an interested buyer in making the house their home, but they just have to wait for the court's approval on the foreclosure sale," Trautman said.

In February, TD Banknorth sought to foreclose on Baker's Old Saybrook restaurant, Vinnie's Saybrook Fish House, which opened in 2005. The bank held a nearly $1 million mortgage on the property and said the restaurant's owner had defaulted on it, according to a lawsuit filed in Superior Court in Middletown.

The restaurant closed in January and reopened last week, according to a spokesman for Baker, who would not give details about the restaurant foreclosure action but said Baker is still an owner with "a silent partner."

Baker, who grew up in Old Saybrook, starred for the University of Hartford and spent 14 years in the NBA with the Boston Celtics and six other teams.

Last June, Baker was arrested and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. In January, he pleaded guilty in Superior Court in Norwich to the lesser charge of reckless driving.